Mexico Clinics?

no i did not apply for it cause i was told that i was not eligible due to not having any medical problems like diabetes, sleep apnea etc.
i also cant afford to pay the cost to go to seattle or OOC if i could. we dont have that kind of money.
i just have to wait for the call frmo Dr Tang.

 I had my surgery a little over 3 years ago in Tijuania, Mexico with Dr. Huacuz.  There are a few excellent surgeons in Mexico and although I did have some initial concerns about leaving Canada to go to Mexico to have surgery.  However, my surgery went beautifully, I had no problems and the care that I received was exceptional.  In fact it was s great that last year I went back to the same clinic and had a breast lift and augmentation done.  
When I had my surgery I weighed 238 pounds.  Within one year I had lost 115 pounds and two years later I have kept it off with no problems.  I went from wearing a size 24 to a size 4.  This surgery has been one of the best things I have ever done it earlier!  If you have any specific questions just ask!

Hi Dianna! What great success with your VSG - you look healthy and beautiful! (Very inspiring - I am eagerly anticipating my surgery in Feb.) My husband and daughter and I are planning a move to Naniamo this summer - have you lived there long and how do you like it?

 Hi Margo,
Thank you for the compliments.  The surgery was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life!  I remember how tired I was all the time from carrying around the extra weight.  Dropping my car keys on the floor and having to bend over and pick them up seemed to take so much effort.  Now I can do anything and squeeze in anywhere without any thought at all.  I think the only two things that can be a bit uncomfortable is when patients who have known me for years come into the dental practice and ask if it is really me or ask where I have gone and yet I am right in front of them.  They just don't recognize me.  When they ask me what I did to lose the weight I always tell them that I watch what I eat and exercise.  I made a very personal decision when I had the surgery done not to share that information with anyone other than my immediate family.  Even one of my best girl friends doesn't know that I had the surgery done.  She is overweight herself and I never wanted to influence her life or her decisions so I have not told her.    The other situation that can be a bit uncomfortable is to go to a restaurant with others and everyone noticing what I am eating.  The quantity of food is so very small that it is very noticeable to others in comparison to the amount they are eating.

I have been working on the island ( I am the clinical supervisor in a dental practice) for 6 years.  However for the first 2 years I lived in Coquitlam (I grew up on the border of Burnaby and Coquitlam since I was born). I used to fly over on the float plane each day to go to work.  Then my kids moved out to go to university and my marriage had ended the year before (8 weeks after I had the surgery) so I decided to move to the island and not do the plane commute anymore.
I absolutely love the island.  The people here are so friendly and amazing.  I feel like I have lived here my whole life.  It is easy to make friends and I live in the Old City Quarter minutes away from my office and I can walk everywhere.  I have only used one tank of gas in the last month because there are so many great places that are right next to me I rarely need to use the car.
My Mom has also moved to the island now and my son is going to Vancouver Island University so he is over here as well.

If you have any questions are all about the surgery or my experiences after losing the weight. The food I ate and how immediately following the surgery and then what I have done to maintain, please ask. I know that the people I spoke to online through this website helped me immensely before and after my surgery.

Can I ask how much weight you have to lose and why you have decided to have the Sleeve and why you are going to Mexico?  Everyone has their own reasons and I am wondering what yours are.
Take Care
Dianna

Hey Dianna,

Thanks for all the info! We have visited Nanaimo and think it will be a great fit for us. I find Vancouver to be too big and too expensive, although we like our neigbourhood in Burnaby (Capitol Hill). Prior to living here, we lived in a small beach town in Oregon and in Portland, and Nanaimo seems like it has a lot of the nicer qualities of both.

I'll be commuting, for a while at least, back to UBC a couple days a week as I am in the middle of a PhD in Social Work and a couple of research projects. My partner is a software developer who can mostly work from home, with a weekly trip back to the mainland. My goal is to get a faculty post at VIU eventually.

I am currently 273 lbs at 5'8" and hope to lose about 110-130 pounds. I really can't imagine what that would look and feel like, (have been overweight all my adult life) so this goal may change depending on how things go. I had considered WLS for some time, but was not happy with the idea of life-long malabsorption - so was looking into Lap-Band and found data about the sleeve -which seemed like the best fit for me.

I'm going to Mexico because the surgeon and hospital have a great rep and the price is right -
and the wait list here in BC is just way too long for MSP. Also my Dad lives nearby in So. California and can be my surgery support while my partner takes care of our daughter at home.

Thanks for the offer of more info as I progress through all the various stages of surgery and post-surgery life...I am certain I will take you up on this! (Have sent a friend request so that I can find you again on the board!)

Cheers,
Margo

 A PHD in social work that is fantastic.  How old is your daughter?  Do you have just one child?  I have a 25 year old daughter who is an RN and lives part-time in Coquitlam and part-time in Toronto.  Her fiance is going to Chiropractor school back East and has 3 more years, so Katy works at two hospitals both in labour and delivery.  She is traveling back and forth every 6 weeks and then stays for 2-3 weeks in each place.  The best of all worlds for her!   They are getting married over here at Tigh-Na-Mara August 2010.  My son is 21 and is in his second year of the Child/Youth worker degree program.  His goal is too work with high risk youth dealing specifically with addiction.  He absolutely loves the university and his instructors.  The support they give to the students is amazing.  He will never get rich doing this type of work but absolutely is doing what comes naturally and satisfies him greatly.
When I decided to have the surgery and made the decision in a matter of a few weeks.  At the time there wasn't anyone in BC doing the surgery so the wait or cost was never a real concern.  I knew that I wanted to lose the weight and the surgery was the way I was going to do it.  I weighed 238 pounds at my heaviest.  I am 5'8" tall.  I wore a size 24 and really disliked how I looked.  I actually stopped looking in mirrors. By the end of the first year I had lost all of the weight that I wanted (120 pounds) and wore a size 3.  It was difficult at the beginning to eat and drink enough to ensure I got all of my protein and nutritional needs.  I was only taking in approx 750 calories per day - and really had to work hard to take that much.  The surgery absolutely took away the hunger sensation.  I have not been hungry since the day of the surgery.  Eating actually became a chore instead of a comfort.
I start every day with a protein shake of some kind.  I change the fruit and flavour of protein but I have it every day without fail.  I did lose quite a bit of hair at the three month after surgery mark and continued to lose it for 3 months.  It  never got to the point where others would mention it to me but it frightened me when I would wash my hair and see the amount of hair in the shower afterwards.  The great thing is now my hair is so healthy and all has grown back plus even more I think.
During the 8 months after surgery I absolutely never cheated.  I did not take in anything that was not allowed.  During Xmas I did not have any chocolates or chips or eggnog, alcohol - nothing like that.  I never drank with food and did not have any carbonation liquids.  Being so strict made the first year following surgery so great because I saw such amazing results.  When you are losing so much weight each month and are not hungry it is an excellent motivator.
I know I should have been exercising from the beginning but to be honest I didn't start until the end of the first year and by that time I had lost all of the weight so working out was easier because I didn't have all that extra weight to carry around. I didn't have any problem with hanging or stretched skin.  However by the end of the 2nd year my breasts were small (no fat ) and were hanging.  I really didn't like the way it looked and after all of this hard work I decided to get a breast lift and augmentation.  I went back to Mexico to the surgeon who did my WLS and he did the plastic surgery for me.  It was the easiest procedure I ever had.  I went down there on my ow because they take such good care of me that I felt like part of the family.  I stayed for 4 days and then came home and never really thought about it again.  I had no pain and immediately it looked great.  
It has been wonderful to be able to put together a wardrobe based on the current fashion style and what I love to wear.  When I was overweight it was not about what was in fashion it was what hid the most excess weight.
Okay, this is enough.  I got on a role and couldn't get off :)  
Here is a little advice from one weight loss patient to another:  Take this time before surgery to enjoy the thought that this will be the last Christmas where you will be overweight.  By next Christmas you will look fresh and healthy.  It is the chance of a lifetime to be in the cir****tances where this is an option for you. How wonderful!

Great advice - my plan is to be pretty strict the first year also - in order to maximize weight loss. I've already quit the carbonated stuff and have started tracking my daily carbs/protein/fats and calories - though I do find this a little bit triggering at the moment. I hope that gradually, as I prepare for surgery, my habits will change. However, even if they don't change a lot- it will be an interesting comparison after surgery!

My daughter is 8 - an only child - and coincidence here - your son's program is the one I hope eventually to find a position within. I have heard GREAT things about it.

I am also 5'8" and size 24, though I am at 273 lbs ... would hope to get down to a 10 or lower.

Glad to hear that plastics went well for you. I have had a breast reduction previously and I do wonder how the girls will fare following weight loss - never mind the belly!

I will keep in touch as things progress - it would be great to meet for tea or something sometime in Nanaimo!

Cheers,
Margo

Hi

Did anyone have trouble getting out of province insurance to go to Mexico for surgery?   I have been shying away from Mexican surgery but there does seem to be a lot of happy patients.  It is worth looking in to.

Thanks

Lorraine

Hi Lorraine,

BC Med doesn't cover medical for an operation in Mexico, it is all private.

They do cover surgery in Seattle and it is only for the RNY,  if you can get thru the red tape.


Currently I was declined and am appealing,  work in progress will see what happens.

Thx

Thanks Tryshh

I know MSP won't pay the price of the surgery itself, however I am thinking about regular out of country insurance.  Would you get regular traveller insurance?  For instance, what would happen if you get go down and during the op have a heart attack. 

Good luck with with the appeal.  With people like Falcon and Campbell making these decisions,,,I pray you get some divine intervention.

Thx